What is the allure to MUSHing? What is it that many of us find so appealing -- that keeps us logging in for more? Partly, it is the people we meet online; a chance to interact with others who share our interests and ideas -- a chance to express ourselves freely without the inhibitions that plague us in real life. Partly, it is mere escapism; we log in to forget about work, school, family, responsibilities -- the same way anyone does when they watch a movie or read a book or play a video game. And partly, it is the opportunity to become somebody else for a little while. While you play you are able to be someone, or something, other than who we are.

That is what MUSHing allows. There are dozens of virtual worlds out there; perhaps more -- many of them based on well-known books or movies, others inspired by already-existing role-playing games, and still others with no limit but the imagination.

Aether is such a world; an original setting gleaned from mythology, history, and fantasy. Here, you can choose from an array of races, backgrounds, factions, occupations, and even magical abilities. There are infinite possibilities, but the important thing is to develop a character that you will enjoy playing. That's the point after all; to have fun.

Yet there is more to developing a character than slapping on a @desc and popping some points into stats. A character needs a concept--a history. A past. That is what the news files are for, as well as +terms and +help. They were written for a reason: to provide as much information about Aether as possible so that players can create thematic, well-defined characters who have a place in the storyline. And while some characters, such as features, might be more integral to the main plot, even the newest player in the game has a right to act out his or her own saga.

If you think about it, MUSHing is a form of improvisational writing, wherein you get to play the protagonist in your own "novel" and interact with other characters in that same story. Everyone has their own story to tell, and these stories are constantly woven in and out like threads in a tapestry in order to form a cohesive storyline that encompasses the entire game. But the story won't be much fun if you don't care about the characters in it, and especially the main one: your own. Thus, you've got to create something that is more than just a framework of stats, a description, and a concept. Your character needs personality, spirit -- a "soul."

And, extensive as they are, that is not something you'll find in the news, +help, or +terms files. That is something you have to come up with on your own. Remember that the most compelling characters are ones who change and grow, just like their human counterparts.

With such a variety of races, castes, and factions to choose from, it may be difficult to confine yourself to just one character. Aether has a fairly flexible "alts rule" -- players can play up to eight different characters; but no more than 3 in each race, and no relatives of other characters (unless it is just temporary). With a little mixing and matching, a player can have characters in a wide variety of factions and castes.

Also, players are typically allowed only one character with extra, apped-for points, and the staff discourages players from playing more than one +vip (see "+help vips").

Finally, players can request to transfer up to 50 of a character's earned advancement points to another alt (or divide the points between several alts). But once 50 points have been transferred to any given alt, no more can be transferred to that alt without an application. Typically, this happens if a character dies or otherwise leaves the game, but players are not allowed to make alts and kill them off for the sole purpose of transferring points to another character.